


one single thread of gold tied me to you

by casuallysavingtheworld



Series: all along there was some invisible string tying you to me [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/M, Fix It Fic, Jedi Luke Skywalker, Luke Skywalker Needs A Hug, M/M, Red String of Fate, Season208 Fix It, Things are different because of strings, Touch Starved Luke Skywalker, Touch starved Din Djarin, no beta we die like stormtroopers, sorta - Freeform, star wars canon and i have beef
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-17
Updated: 2021-01-17
Packaged: 2021-03-15 23:07:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28821201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/casuallysavingtheworld/pseuds/casuallysavingtheworld
Summary: Luke just sits and stares, as it’s all he can do, hoping one day, he’ll be able to follow his string, all the way to whoever is on the opposite end of it. He bets they’re beautiful, no matter what they look like. At night, in Luke’s dreams, he catches glimpses of deep brown eyes, a pre-empire ship, armor and a silver helmet.(Luke Skywalker has a golden string attached to his finger, that floats into the sky, leading him somewhere, to someone. He's the only one who can see them. During the adventure of a lifetime, he searches for answers, eventually leading him exactly where he needs to be)
Relationships: Anakin Skywalker & Luke Skywalker, Din Djarin & Finn & Luke Skywalker, Din Djarin & Grogu | Baby Yoda & Luke Skywalker, Din Djarin/Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa & Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa/Han Solo, Luke Skywalker & Han Solo, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Luke Skywalker
Series: all along there was some invisible string tying you to me [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2118132
Comments: 57
Kudos: 625





	one single thread of gold tied me to you

**Author's Note:**

> First off, I just wanted to say thank you for the response to my last fic, I wasn't expecting such a kind reaction to it, so I am so grateful that people have enjoyed it. I had so much fun writing it, and since people liked that AU, I might just have to write Din and Luke's meeting...
> 
> Okay, anyways, so I wrote half of this high as kite and then the other half of it on five hours of sleep, so I have no idea really what this is, but I had a lot of fun writing it once again, and I hope you enjoy. I'm always a sucker for a good soulmate AU, so of course, I had to write one for my newest hyper-fixation.

Luke Skywalker could always see the string that was attached to his ring finger, a beautiful golden string, that drifted into the sky. He had wondered as a small child if others could see their strings, as he could see everyone else’s. Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen’s string was attached, which always made Luke happy and hopeful, to be loved by people who followed their string. 

But, Aunt Beru didn’t understand what he was talking about, the first time he brought it up, and Luke had yet to see any other pair with connecting strings on Tatooine. So, he dropped it, thinking that it must be a fluke, just another weird thing about Luke that no one could explain. Growing up, Luke always overheard Uncle Owen saying Luke had too much of his father in him, like it was a bad thing, to be like one’s parents. Luke still didn’t know what really happened to his father, sensing that all the stories his aunt and uncle told him were just half-truths or lies, but Luke didn’t want to get in trouble for talking back, so he eventually stopped asking, accepting their woven tales. They wouldn’t even talk about his mother with him. Luke couldn’t stop thinking about the strings, especially if his parents had connecting strings, and how romantic it must have been for them to find the other.

But tonight, Luke sits under the stars in the still warm sand, staying close to the house so Sand People don’t get the wrong idea. The cool desert night replaces hot and dry heat of the day, and Luke is grateful, he’s not a big fan of the heat. He gives a gentle tug to his string, watching as it stretches, then relaxes as he pulls. He wonders if whoever is on the other end of it can feel him tugging, almost begging them to come find him. He hopes he’s not bothering them, when he just stares into the sky like this and tugs. 

Luke would never want to be a bother. 

The string doesn’t help Luke’s longing for adventure, to find his place in the stars. He daydreams about all the places he’s seen on the halonet and heard about in Uncle Owen’s stories about what the universe is up to. Imagining a place where all the strings were overlapping, all the people out there with strings connecting them to someone else. Those big cities must look like magic, with all the strings acting as parallel and perpendicular lines, crisscrossing trying to find their end. Luke can’t wait to see them one day, meet new people, get off this stupid desert planet, and be free, maybe be a pilot? Do something worth-while, not be here, stuck on this farm, on the Outer Rim of everything. Maybe he could actually do some good in the world. 

For now, Luke just sits and stares, as it’s all he can do, hoping one day, he’ll be able to follow his string, all the way to whoever is on the opposite end of it. He bets they’re beautiful, no matter what they look like. At night, in Luke’s dreams, he catches glimpses of deep brown eyes, a pre-empire ship, armor and a silver helmet. Luke tries not to get too caught up in these dreams, but they don’t do anything to set out the fuel of his daydreams. 

“Luke! Get back in here before the Sand People spot you!” Uncle Owen calls from the house. 

“Coming, Uncle Owen,” He calls back.

Luke lets out a heavy sigh, slowly getting up, dusting himself off. Eyes still fixated on the stars and his string, he gives it one last tug, trying to be gentle. 

“I can’t wait to meet you one day,” Luke whispers, before turning back and heading to the last place he wants to be right now.

* * *

Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru’s string was black, Luke recalls that now, as he sits with Old Ben on Han’s ship. Luke had never seen black strings before, and it shocked him even more, since it was always a brilliant gold color for as long as he could remember. Then again, he had never seen a dead body like that before, nothing but burning flesh and bones, let alone two. Not even the Sand People would be so cruel. Luke tries not to think about it, focusing instead on the other things happening around him. 

Both Han and Chewbacca’s strings were the gold color Luke had become accustomed to seeing on other people, both leading them somewhere. Though...Han’s seems to be tightening as they keep flying towards Alderaan. Looking at Ben, in the dim lighting of the ship and the light that the lightsaber outputs, his string was peculiar. Luke hadn’t noticed this growing up, and he’s surprised that he hasn’t. It was still golden, but it stopped. It didn’t lead anywhere, frayed at the end. Luke wanted to ask him who he had loved, if he had found them, his person on the other side of the string, and what Ben’s string meant for everyone else in the universe who had lost their strings. 

But, Ben had asked him to start training before he could ask any questions. Ben wanted Luke to train with his father’s lightsaber. The buzz that the lightsaber makes as Luke wields it is a sound like any that he’s ever heard before, and he revels in it. Luke is eager to try to learn more about this world that Ben is talking about, the story of Luke’s Father... _Anakin_. Han is...himself, making fun of Luke’s every move, but it’s strangely comforting. He can tell it’s Han’s way of showing people he cares. Luke supposes there are worse things in the world to have to put up with. 

Learning about the Force is a brand new adventure, just like the one Luke had been longing for all his life, and he finally feels like he’s going the way he meant too. Except, they seem to be going in the opposite direction of where his string is leading too, and Luke feels conflicted. He always said he would find them first, the moment he got off Tatooine, he would follow his string until he found the person on the other end of it, the person he’s been dreaming of meeting for so long. Now, he feels like he’s cheating the person on the other side, but the path Luke’s started on, feels so much bigger than just the strings. 

Glancing over at the man, Luke likes talking to Ben, makes him feel a bit more connected to his father. This feels right, Luke can’t explain why, but for the first time, the stories he’s hearing about his father make sense to him. So he listens, doing what Ben asks of him. Ben feels like one of those people that Luke was always meant to be close too, and he tries not to blame Uncle Owen for keeping them apart. Ben looks at him with hope, but there’s a thread of remorse there, and Luke wants to ask where it came from, but he doesn’t get a chance to ask. 

They drop out of hyperspace with a lurch, to approach Alderaan, only to find it’s not there. They all question what happened, when a TIE fighter comes out of nowhere, and they all focus on that. That’s when they all see it for the first time. 

“That’s no moon...that’s a space station.”

* * *

Luke should have realized that Han’s string was getting tighter as they were pulled into the Death Star, but Luke notices that he doesn’t pay attention to them as much when he gets caught up in the action. That’s never happened to him before. Leia is a spit-fire, her spirit is strong and Luke never wants to cross her. Her string connects her to Han, and Luke wonders if they’ll ever figure it out. If Luke thinks Han is a bit rough around the edges, Leia must think he’s sandpaper. 

Leia and Luke are sitting on the ship together. Space is so cold, compared to the heat of the binary suns he’s so used to, Luke shivers. There’s a heavy feeling of loss that connects the two of them, as Han tries to put as much distance between them and the Death Star. Leia gave them coordinates of a rebel base on a moon called Yavin IV, and Luke can’t help but feel guilty that Ben isn’t here with them.

“That man, Obi-Wan Kenobi, you called him Ben, he was fighting with Darth Vader,” Leia answers when Luke gets around to asking. Luke sits back, getting lost in his daydreams and his thoughts. 

Darth Vader. The man, and Luke wasn’t even sure he was a man, was terrifying, larger than life. Luke still had so much training left, but even he felt the anger and the rage that pulsed off the man, and Luke could barely think when he felt it. Vader’s red lightsaber was so startling, so different to Luke’s father’s saber. Though, the most shocking part of the man was his string. Unlike Ben’s, which was frayed and still golden, Vader’s string was as red as blood, just like his lightsaber, and it was blunt, like it had been cut off, not pulled apart. 

Luke wondered what that meant, seeing as Luke could put together that your string was cut when you lost the person on the other end of it, but this felt different. Everything about Vader’s string was different, it felt like it was angry and painful. There was something raw and aching that pulsed off of Vader too, especially when Ben vanished, and then again when Vader saw Luke. Luke never got a chance to ask Ben if he knew anything about the strings, if they were connected to the Force, or if Luke was even weirder than he originally thought. He wonders if he’ll ever get a chance to ask anyone else about them, someone who might know about the strings, and about the Force, and why Luke seems to be the only one who can see them. 

For now, however, he watches as Han and Leia’s string tighten and relax as Han moves around the ship, both of them seething at the idea of interacting. 

“Luke, how are you doing?” Leia asks, finally breaking the silence that had flowed over them. Luke’s eyes focus back on her, she’s beautiful.

“Not great, but I should be asking you that question right now instead,” Luke says, and Leia’s brown eyes are heavy with loss. 

Neither of them try to convey how they’re feeling about their respective losses, still both too fresh and raw. Leia reaches over and takes Luke’s hand, both of them coming together in their time of grief. 

“Hey, you two, we’re approaching Yavin,” Han yells from the cockpit, and Leia gets up to join them. 

As he stands, Luke gives another gentle tug to his string, wanting to remind whoever is on the other side of it that he’ll make his way to them soon. He just has a mission to complete first, and he hopes they understand.

* * *

Luke Skywalker is a liar. 

Or, at least that’s what he’s telling himself as he heads from Hoth to Dagobah. He is quite literally going in the opposite direction of where his string is going. 

He sighs, taking off his helmet to rub his face. He said three years ago that he would make his way towards whoever is on the other side of his string soon, but then the rebellion kept happening, and Leia needed him, and he was _Luke Skywalker_ , the guy who blew up the Death Star for fuck’s sake, and well...the days of staring in the Tatooine sky were long behind him.

He stares at the streaks of light in hyperspace, and gently tugs on his string by moving his ring finger, just like he’s done his whole life. Luke pushes good thoughts to his person, whoever they are, and hopes that they aren’t out there somewhere waiting for him. Luke thinks about those brown eyes, the ones he still sees in his sleep. It’s been paired with tan skin and messy, curly brown hair that Luke longs to run his fingers through, but for now...for now, Luke makes his way to Dagobah. 

He hopes his person can forgive him one day for taking so long.

* * *

Luke sits outside of Yoda’s hut, taking a couple of moments to himself. He rests his elbows on his knees, holding his head in his hands. The mugginess of the planet does nothing to help his racing mind, the stickiness of the air making him feel claustrophobic, like he can’t really breathe. Rain hits his head, but he’s too stressed to care. 

Asking Yoda about the strings doesn’t go the way Luke hoped it would. All Yoda says about them is to forget about them, and continue to focus on his training. Luke isn’t surprised at this response, but he wants answers, he’s been searching his whole life for answers. Why can he seem, does it have something to do with the Force, why does no else see them the way he does? Yoda at least knows about them, but Yoda doesn’t even have one! Luke has never seen someone without even a thread of one. What does that mean? There are so many unanswered pieces of his history, of the Force, and Luke is tired. 

But Luke doesn’t ask again, and he can’t figure out why. Maybe, he’s scared of the real answer, if at the end of Luke’s string, he won’t find a soulmate like he’s been thinking he would for his whole life now. Yoda tells him to stop thinking about the string, and the string’s fate, and focus on the more important things that are in front of him. Luke curses the Force altogether for giving him this burden on top of all the other things Luke has to deal with. 

Luke stares into the mist, the fog blocking the night sky from him, and all Luke wishes is that he could see the stars again, the ones that gave him such comfort. He watches as his string faded rather quickly into the fog, and he hopes those brown eyes are doing a lot better in this war right now than he is.

* * *

Luke makes his way back to lie down in the med bay of The Falcon, remembering how cold this ship was when in flight. He thinks about the color of Leia’s string. It’s been getting longer as they move away from Vader and his ship, and Luke’s heart breaks for her. The once sunny gold, bright and hopeful, has now turned into a silver grey, pulsing with fear and a light that Luke can’t look at. Han and Leia had done it, they had found each other despite everything, then they were ripped apart from each other, and now neither Luke or Leia knows if Han is gonna be okay. 

Luke wishes he could comfort her, hold her close and tell her it was gonna be alright, but his body is aching from his fight with Vader, that he needs to lie down before he passes out. He all but collapses into the bunk, the lights low, the hum of the ship comforting, remembering the first time he was ever on it. The bunk is small, but it’s comforting, a place to curl up in on himself, where he can feel like a child all over again. 

_Obi-Wan never told you what happened to your father._

_He told me enough! He told me you killed him!_

_No. I am your father._

Darth Vader- _Anakin Skywalker_ -is his father. Vader burns, there’s a terrible ache in him, like he’s gone supernova, but in the worst way, and Luke can’t think about him without being overwhelmed. How could he be related to this monster, this man who has left every ounce of humanity behind for the Dark Side of the Force, betraying all the people he has, betraying _Ben_. Luke didn’t realize it before, he couldn’t feel it then, but he does now, and Luke aches. All the pain, all the anger and hatred, it all leads down to the string, to Vader’s string. Snipped, cut clean, Luke realizes something...maybe through the Force, maybe through the pathways that Ben, Yoda and his aunt and uncle have been placing for years. 

Vader’s string had to have been connected to Luke’s mother, Luke figures as much now. Luke can’t breathe at the realization, his head screaming. Her death, Luke can feel it in the Force, must have done something to push Vader, his _father_ , closer to this edge. It’s the missing piece of the puzzle, her death feels like a broken bone that never healed correctly in the Force, to Vader, even to Luke. His father is alive, and broken, and barely a man anymore and Luke is angry. Vader’s string had turned red, with all the anguish he felt, and Luke wonders if Vader cut himself off from something because Ben’s string was still golden, frayed, but still bright and hopeful, and Luke desperately wishes Ben would appear and give him some answers to all these questions because they are eating him alive at this point. 

There’s something broken about all the strings of the Force users he’s encountered, the fact that Yoda told him not to worry about them without answering any of his questions, or even answering if Luke they were more than what Luke already thought he had figured out. Yoda doesn’t even have a string, so what does that mean? Is Luke not supposed to have a string? What does that mean for him becoming a Jedi? 

There are even more questions piling in his brain, and he can’t think anymore, and his stump still aches, and his face still stings, even with all the bacta Leia applied for him. Luke takes a few calming breaths, freezing in this stupid ship, _Han’s ship_ , and finally lets himself drift off into unconsciousness, silently begging for his favorite pair of brown eyes to show up again. 

* * *

Luke doesn’t get another chance to think about the strings and all his questions until long after the second Death Star blows, and after his father dies. 

Now, Luke is plagued with nightmares. He wakes in the middle of the night, screaming at all the pain he feels, the place where his cybernetic hand is attached to his arm is aching, and his scars from The Emperor’s lightning sting and fester. The room feels too warm, and the sheets are tangled and stick to his sweaty chest, as he heaves, trying to catch his breath, trying to swallow the lump in his throat. The room is dim, only the lights from the city, and there’s no moonlight. Luke craves the moonlight, and he pushes himself to sit up. There’s no sounds of nature to comfort him, the planet is filled with speeders, ships, and people, all noisy, even from this high up. 

Luke’s brain is swimming with all the things he’s seen, all the people he’s lost, the red and yellow eyes of the Emperor and at one point, his father. The painful red string always stands out on nights like this, and in his nightmares, the string always leads Luke back to his mother, just out of touch, out of reach, lost before they even had a chance to know each other. That fucking red string. 

The Emperor didn’t even have a string but he taunted Luke about his, the first person he meets that can see them, and it’s the one person in the world who had radiated so much hate that it made Luke sick to his stomach just thinking about it now. Of course, Palpatine didn’t have a string, no one could ever have been fated to love someone as horrible as him. All the thoughts that the Emperor had pushed into his head haunt him now, all the taunts, the sneers. He fed off of Luke’s need to find his soulmate, that Luke still had _hope,_ using it as just another thing to break Luke down in that throne room, watching his friends as they risked their lives for the cause. 

_Just like your father,_ Palpatine’s voice feels like acid, rolling around in Luke’s head. 

_I am a Jedi like my father before me,_ Luke’s own voice attempts to break through it all.

Luke sits on the edge of the bed with his head in his head, trying to breathe again, trying to be okay again. The regret about the anger he felt on the second Death Star still washes over him, crashing in his head, drowning him from the inside out, and Luke wishes he was a better Jedi, that he could let this all roll off his back, and keep going. 

Except that, when looking into his father’s eyes for the first time, he remembers staring into the same blue eyes that Luke sees in the mirror. He hears the ragged last breaths of Vader’s long and angry life, and tries to stop picturing his father dying in his arms. It’s in this avoidance, Luke remembers that his father’s string had turned golden and frayed...just like Ben’s. Luke is sweaty and numb from the things he’s seen tonight in his nightmares, but he realizes that his father had truly come back from the Dark Side in his last moments in this universe, and that’s all Luke can ask for, since he still cannot rectify Vader’s actions. There may have been good in him, and Luke believes that, but...the things Vader has done...some can’t be forgiven that easily. 

Luke gets up from the edge of the bed, pushing his sweaty hair out of his face. He makes his way over to the window, he has a pretty good view of Chandrila. It’s a big place, like he’s always imagined Coruscant to look like, all the bright city lights, so many people with all their lives intertwining with each other, but still all so separate. Luke hates it here. He feels like a disappointment to his younger self, that he didn’t want to be in a place with so many people, but it’s all too much. He can’t tear his eyes away from all the strings overlapping, some golden, some silver, some red and angry too. 

He’s been planning on telling Leia he’s leaving Chandrila to start a temple, to continue to train as a Jedi, and learn enough to train others, anyone that he finds that is like him. He loves his sister, she understands in a way that not many do, but there’s still a part that she doesn’t. The longing for a place to truly call home, a place where everything clicks. Tatooine never held that, the Rebellion never did either, and Chandrila certainly doesn’t. He’s started wishing that his string would fade away like Yoda’s, and he can be a proper Jedi, like his masters before him. 

He looks at his string, watching as it floats away, into the sky. Luke can’t even see the stars here, and just like that his string mixes with all the others, and he’s not special. He wants to beg for the person on the other side to forgive him for letting them go. He can’t even think about chasing after them anymore, and he needs to focus on his training, on training others. He can’t let anyone else out there attempt to use the person on the other side of this string against Luke, it wouldn’t be fair, they didn’t sign up for this life like Luke did. Luke hates himself for this, feeling incredibly guilty for the decision he’s made. Just like the dumb kid he was on Tatooine, he longs to be able to drop everything and find them, to find those brown eyes and stare into them for the rest of his life. 

But it’s just that, he’s no longer the dumb kid on Tatooine. He has to be more.

* * *

It’s been two years since the Battle of Endor, when Ben finally shows up. 

Luke has been lying to himself, trying to convince himself that he doesn’t need whoever is on the end of his string to be happy, because he doesn’t! He has Leia, Han, Chewie, Artoo, and yes...C-3PO, he has everything he needs, and he already has those attachments to feel guilty about, and he doesn’t need the string to give him someone else to make him feel bad about not being a good enough Jedi. He’s been good about not following the string thus far, even if every part of him aches when he attempts to push it to the side. 

“Luke,” Ben shows up across from him, as Luke meditates outside the temple. The blue haze that surrounds him is not the most comforting thing, it wasn’t on Endor either. 

It’s a pleasant day, the humidity hasn’t rolled around, and the sun is out, Luke always appreciates a nice, sunny day. Luke still doesn’t have any students, still trying to train himself before he tries to teach others. He needs to be better, he’s the only one that he knows of still out there, and he doesn’t feel ready for the day that he’ll be doing what his Masters did for him. 

“Ben! It’s good to see you!” Luke smiles, and Ben reciprocates the gesture. 

“You’ve come a long way, Luke,” Ben says, which causes Luke to feel sheepish. 

Luke doesn’t feel like he’s come a long way, still feeling like the dumb kid on Tatooine, who spent so much of his time starting at the stars, wishing for an adventure, for something more. He still stares at his string, daydreaming about the person on the other side of it, despite telling himself that there’s no point to it. But looking at Ben, Luke reminds himself what he’s doing all this for, a future for the Jedi Order. 

“You have questions, questions that you’ve had for many years, and now, I think it’s time I give you some answers,” Ben tells him, and Luke tries to squash the excitement that rises at the prospect of answers. 

“About the strings?” Luke asks, getting a nod in return, “Are they leading to our soulmates? Why can I see them? Does it have something to do with the Force?” 

“They are leading to a soulmate, but not everyone who has the Force can see them, I can’t but...your father could,” Ben answers. 

“So...you think I can see them because my father could?” 

“Yes, we believe so,” 

“Why didn’t Master Yoda have a string?” 

Ben sighs, “Master Yoda had meditated and became so close to being one with the Force that he lost his string, his Force Connection. Very few Jedi have done this, but we also only know very few Jedi who could see them, so not much is known other than basics,” 

Luke hums, mulling this new information over. 

“Why does the Force give us these connections, if Jedi are not supposed to have attachments?” A look full of longing, and pain appears on Ben with this question, and Luke wishes he could pick the words out of the air and shove them back into his mouth. The breeze picks up, and Luke doesn’t like that nothing on Ben moves at all, not even his hair.

“It is due to these connections that the Jedi of old decided that the Order would be better off not encouraging attachments, and eventually not allowing them. However, as you can tell, that rule was not always followed as it should have been,” 

Luke thinks back to his father, and his ugly, red, blunt string, and Ben’s golden and frayed one. Luke follows his own string into the sky, knowing what to ask next. 

“Who did you lose?” Luke whispers, and Ben is taken aback, surprised that Luke would ask him about that. 

“Her name was Satine. I lost her a long time ago,” Ben admits, “I miss her everyday,” 

“And my father, who did he lose?” Luke just wants confirmation from _someone_ after all this time. 

“I think that’s a question you already know the answer to,” Ben says, before vanishing back into the Force. 

Luke grumbles, wishing for more time, more answers to his questions, but for now, he has to be satisfied with the information he was given. Luke tugs on his string, just like he has for all twenty-six years of his life. The sun is bright in his eyes, and the birds soar overhead, making him a bit jealous at their freedom. Even if there wasn’t anyone telling him what to do now, he doesn’t exactly feel free. He has responsibilities, promises he’s made to people long gone. Once again, he convinces himself not to get in his X-Wing right now, to follow the string to the person who is on the other side of it, Brown Eyes. If it had hurt Jedis in the past, why would he be any different, why would it work out for him now?

Ripping his eyes away from the string, Luke gets up. Dusting his Jedi Robes off, and makes his way inside the Temple, pushing the daydreams back to their place, their corner of his brain.

* * *

His father shows up a year later. Luke had finally gotten the courage to search for students, surprised at how many Force-Sensitives there were in the world. His small cohort ranges from younglings to older Padawans. He trains them, day in and day out, and tries not to ache when he sees their strings. Luke’s lucky, none of the students can see the strings. He wouldn’t know what to say if they did. 

All his padawans are asleep, and he’s awake, nightmares plaguing him again, still, forever probably. It’s a cooler night, unusual for Yavin IV, but he appreciates the change in weather nonetheless, it’s soothing. It makes his scars and his hand feel better, as they always ache after a night like this. He never really liked the heat of Tatooine, but he put up with it because he wasn’t making his way out there anytime soon. 

“Luke,” Anakin-Vader- his father, appears behind him, scaring Luke a little, the difference in his voice without the heavy breathing and the modulator, throws Luke off. 

“Father,” Luke turns, Anakin-Vader-whoever, has the same face that he saw at the Battle of Endor all those years ago, the man he should have been, the blue haze of his ghost lights the balcony where Luke sits. 

“You seem...conflicted,” He says, and Luke shrugs. 

“Yeah, well, the strings make it difficult to teach about not having attachments,” Luke admits, and Anakin...this is not Vader, nods. 

“It affected me too, since I was the only one out of my cohort to see them, and even before that, like you growing up on Tatooine, without an inkling of what the Force was. I always could see my string, and the day I met your mother, I saw our strings connecting. I couldn’t get it out of my mind. How could I have a soulmate, and not be with her? Not follow her to the ends of the universe? So I did, even if I went against the Jedi Code,” Anakin reflects on his past, and Luke gets more frustrated at the strings, them trying to tell him something, but never fully giving him answers. 

“I feel like the attachments part of it didn’t always work out for you,” The words are out of his mouth before Luke can filter himself.

“You’re right, I didn’t learn how to have healthy attachments to the ones I loved, to Padmé. I don’t think I’m an example of what always happens with the strings, Luke, I’m the cautionary tale you tell when teaching about them. Learn from my mistakes, learn to love this person with the fact that one day, when you need too, you can let them go, when it’s their time,” Anakin tells him, “Look at your sister and Han, they seem to be doing alright.” 

_His mother’s name was Padmé._

Luke rolls his eyes, getting a chuckle from Anakin, “Yes, however, they also don’t really know about the strings. Leia can’t see them. Also, some people don’t find their soulmates, especially if so few Force users can see them.” 

“Then why are you stopping yourself from finding your soulmate, if you seem to be the expectation to these rules?” Anakin asks, and the question hits Luke right in the chest. 

The pair sit in silence for a few minutes, with Luke thinking over what his father has said. The sounds of nature fill his ears, as his mind is racing. The rustle of the trees, the croaking of the frogs, Luke's eyes make their way to his string, up there in the sky, among the stars, and he sighs. Luke avoids looking at his father, not being comforted by the man. 

“Luke, let yourself be a bit selfish with this. You aren’t going to fall to the Dark Side just because you love someone. Yes, be careful, learn to let people go, but you do not have to be the Perfect Jedi to be a good person, and a good master,” Anakin says, before vanishing back into the Force like Ben did. 

Luke lets himself mull over what his father said, wondering if he should be taking advice from a former Sith Lord, even if he was redeemed, and also admitting to his faults. What would it be like to find the person on the other side of his string? For the first time in three years, Luke really lets himself fall back into his previous daydreams, staring up at the sky. Luke thinks about Brown Eyes, the glimpses of them that he sees still, even after all this time, in his dreams. 

A life with his soulmate, a family of his own? It sounds like a dream to Luke, something just out of reach. Luke aches for that life, tears start making their way down his face. Even with his wonderful Padawans and his family, he’s so fucking lonely. Han and Leia have their life, their son, and Luke is so happy for them, but he can’t help but be jealous that they found each other. That he’s out here, racking his brain, begging himself to forget about the stupid string, trying to figure out how selfish he would be if he just went and found them, Brown Eyes, the person who has been haunting him for all these years. 

Luke tugs on the string, sobs escaping his body as he drops his head into his hands, and apologizes to his soulmate for not being a braver man.

* * *

The Force cries out a year after his father visits him, begging Luke to go find a child who needs his help, and even from here, Luke can feel the child’s force signature. Luke is not one to leave a child behind, so he tells his older Padawans to take care of the temple, and to call Leia if anything happens. Luke is lucky to have such wonderful students, as they help him get ready to go, pushing him forward, wishing him luck and that they’ll be good for him. Luke tries not to cry thinking about how far they’ve all come in the two years since he’s started training them, and thanks the Force for each one of their spirits.

“Good luck, Master Luke!” One of his Padawans calls, and Luke waves as he jogs backwards. 

“Be good!” He calls back, and they all break out into laughter.

He rushes to his X-Wing, Artoo hot on his tail. Throwing on his cloak as he sprints, he sends out to the child that he’ll be there soon, to stay calm. The child tells him that his father is scared, he’s scared, he can’t lose his father, and Luke’s heart aches. Sadly, Luke knows that feeling all too well. In his attempt to calm the child down, Luke doesn’t even notice his string getting tighter as he enters hyperspace.

* * *

“It’s...you...Brown Eyes,” The words are out of Luke’s mouth before he can finish thinking them, and Luke is still so shocked that he doesn’t even care. His eyes follow the string on his left hand to the man standing in front of him. Finally...after all these years, Luke has found the person on the other side, and he doesn’t know what else to say. 

Smoke billowed into the Bridge of the Cruiser, he had been so busy with the fight and trying to get to the child, that he wasn’t paying attention to his string. The bridge is bright and full of people, the Force feels anxious around them, waiting for the next shoe to drop, waiting for Luke to attack them too. He doesn’t care about them right now. Tears prickle at his eyes, as he watches the man in front of him tilt his head in confusion. 

“...You can see it too?” The man asks, and Luke wants to cry and laugh at the same time, he’s sure he looks like a wreck right now, a completely different man to who just destroyed a whole battalion of droids in minutes. 

The man standing in front of him is a Mandalorian, his beskar armor is a shiny silver, holding a small child who looks so much like Master Yoda, it’s a bit scary. This is the child that reached out to him, and Luke thanks the Force for everything it’s put him through to get him here, in this moment. Luke thinks about his eyes, those beautiful brown eyes that just sit behind his visor, behind the helmet, and Luke wishes he could see them, but he doesn’t even care about that right now. After twenty-eight long years, he’s found the person on the other side, _by accident_ , and Luke tries his hardest to maintain some sense of composure, to not look like a blubbering mess. 

_His soulmate can see the strings too, he’s not alone anymore, Luke doesn’t have to feel lonely anymore._

“Yes,” Luke breathes, a smile breaking across his face, resisting the urge to rush forward and wrap his arms around the man, he doesn’t even know his name, and Luke doesn’t even care, because holy shit, he’s here. 

“You’re a Jedi...you answered Grogu’s call...you came to rescue him, to train him,” The man says slowly, and Luke nods, and the man lets out a sigh of relief, a hitched sort of sob that Luke completely understands, “You’re gonna take him and train him now, aren’t you?” 

“You can come with us,” Luke says, and Grogu, the child’s name is Grogu, coos in agreement, “After all...our strings are connected,” 

Luke reaches out the hand with the string attached to it. He waits, not caring about anyone else in the room, except for the man, and for Grogu. The low buzz of the ship’s engines fill the silence. Everything about the man’s stance looks conflicted, and Luke doesn’t blame him. Luke is conflicted too, but he is done not allowing himself to have this one thing. Grogu looks up his father, and places a hand on his helmet. Looking down at his son, everything about his stance changes, almost softening at the touch. 

The man doesn’t say anything, just takes a few steps forward, and wraps his hand around Luke’s. Luke tries not to shudder at the contact of rough leather on his skin, and gives the man a bright smile, before he turns, leading them back down the hallway. 

The Force sings, and Luke, for once, revels in it.

* * *

Din- _his name is Din Djarin_ -stands awkwardly on the balcony, and Luke almost wants to laugh at him. Grogu had fallen asleep during the trip back, with Din in the ship that he stole a ship from the Cruiser, and followed Luke to Yavin IV. The Padawans were already waiting for them when Luke landed, telling Luke that they all felt his presence when he entered the atmosphere, and Luke smiled, knowing that their training bonds with him are growing stronger, which means he’s doing his job at least somewhat correctly. He pushed them all to go to bed, getting grumbles, pouts and protests in return, but Luke made a promise to tell them all the story in the morning, just like always. With his students making their way to the rooms, and Din holding Grogu, Luke had led him to a spare bedroom to let Grogu rest. 

Luke can feel the anxiety radiating off of him, so he had brought him out here to hopefully calm down, but now Luke thinks that maybe he might have made it worse. Din hasn’t said anything since they landed, even if he did give some waves to the Padawans who seemed interested in the new people at the Temple. For now, Luke stares up at the sky, getting used to his string not floating up there amongst them, and the fact that Din is here, hits Luke in the chest all over again. Luke tries to get his thoughts straight, but all he can think about is being that dumb kid on Tatooine, making promises he didn’t know if he could keep, and by accident, he fulfilled them. 

It’s a hot and humid night on Yavin, such a contrast to the night his father visited him. The stars are bright, and the moon hangs low in the sky. Luke shrugs off his cloak, placing it over the edge of the balcony. There’s a cooler breeze coming in, and Luke suspects they’ll get rain the next day, a welcomed gift for the garden Luke’s been trying to cultivate. Luke lets Din think, as he closes his eyes, listening to the distant running water, the bugs buzzing about, and the rustle of the trees. 

“I’ve...never seen the strings lead to someone else, I’ve never seen the other side of one before...what do they mean?” Din finally breaks the silence, and Luke smiles, opening his eyes and turning to face him. The moonlight reflects off of Din’s helmet and armor. 

“I was told that they are called Force Connections, soulmates. I’ve only met two other people who could see them...until you, but they’re gone now,” Luke says, and Din just stares at him, the helmet would be a bit unnerving, but Luke knows the color of his eyes, which he feels a bit guilty about now, but there’s nothing he can do. 

Din steps forward, getting into Luke’s personal space, and Luke’s heart starts trying to jump out of his chest, and Luke gulps. Slipping off his glove in one easy motion, Din reaches up and brushes the hair out of Luke’s eyes, and Luke stops breathing for a second. The helmet tilts down and to the side, and Luke can feel Din’s eyes scanning his face, suddenly feeling very self-conscious. 

“I’ve seen your eyes before...in dreams,” Din whispers, voice soft even with the helmet. He’s standing close now, their chests almost touching, and Luke cannot believe it, and mentally flips off all the Jedis before him for telling him that he should never experience this. 

“I’ve seen yours too,” Luke admits, and Luke is surprised that Din isn’t angry about that, due to his creed, Grogu had sent over the rundown on their way here. 

“So...we’re soulmates, that’s what the string means, yeah?” Din asks, and all Luke can do at this point is give him a simple nod, with Din being so close to him clouding all his thoughts. 

Din hums as he cups his hand around the back of Luke’s neck, bringing his helmet to touch Luke’s forehead. Luke lets his eyes drift closed, trying not to scare Din with any feelings he might be sending out into the Force. There’s a beat before either of them speak again, letting the sounds of nature fill the space between them. 

“It’s nice, your presence feels nice,” Din says, and Luke’s face immediately flares up in a blush, which gets a chuckle from the man in front of him, who pulls his head away from Luke’s but keeps his hand on the back on Luke’s neck. 

“I’m glad you feel comfortable here,” Luke whispers, lifting his hands to rest on Din’s biceps. 

“If I had known sooner, that the string meant that we were soulmates...I would have come to find you sooner. I was the only one who could see them, so they scared me, I ran away from it,” 

“I mean...I wasn’t exactly on the first ship out of Tatooine to find you either, so I guess we’re even. I knew what they were, I never tried to find you...” Luke admits, and Din shrugs, Luke relaxes a bit in relief, still very aware of how close Din was to him. 

“I don’t think that matters much now,” 

Luke feels like he’s on fire, burning like the sun’s core, feeling everything all at once. The night’s cool breeze does nothing to calm him down. After all those years starting into the sky, he’s finally staring at his soulmate, and Luke can’t believe it, that it’s really happening, that he’s allowing it to happen. Din runs the knuckle of his finger down Luke’s cheek, and Luke lets his eyes close, leaning into the touch. 

“I know...that we’re soulmates and everything...but I’m not ready for you to see my face,” Din confesses. 

“Of course...I understand.” 

“So, keep your eyes closed.” 

Luke lifts an eyebrow in confusion, but listens to Din’s request, not pushing him any further than Din is willing to go. However, he gasps when Din places a hand on Luke’s cheek, pressing his lips to Luke’s. Immediately, Luke wraps his arms around Din’s waist, pulling them flush against each other. There were a few times that Luke pictured kissing his soulmate, but this feels like magic, every star in the sky exploding, tingles flow through Luke’s body, and he feels like he’s on fire, but the best kind, because he’s not burning alone anymore. It’s better than he ever could have imagined. 

Luke feels the longing replayed back to him like a feedback loop, Din understands this feeling inside Luke, the one he has tried to keep pushed down for so many years. The longing, it fit Luke, longing for the sky, all the stars in the galaxy, longing for his soulmate, and Luke always burned hotter than the sun for the people he cared for. But now, the longing has morphed into something different, something new that Luke has never really felt before, maybe pieces of it, one of those things that was always just out of touch, just out of reach. 

_Belonging,_ Luke realizes that’s what he’s feeling, right here in Din’s arms, kissing each other senseless, and Luke doesn’t need to tug on his string to bring his soulmate closer to him, Din is right here, and everything feels _right_. 

The Force shrieks in delight, and Luke feels tears well up in his eyes, making their way down his cheeks. Din pulls away from Luke and Luke chases his lips, which Din chuckles at. Eyes still squeezed shut, the pads of Din’s thumbs wipe the tears away, before pressing more kisses to Luke’s cheeks, and Luke breaks out into a smile, a half sob, half laugh rips itself out of Luke’s throat. 

“Was that alright?” Din whispers, leaning his forehead to place on Luke’s. 

“Yeah,” Luke breaths out, reaching up to place his hands on either side of Din’s face, fingertips brushing into his hair, and pulling him back in. “It was perfect,”

* * *

Luke sits out in his meditation garden, in his light Jedi robes. He listens to nature around him, breathing steady. He loves mornings like this, all his Padawans still asleep, the early morning sun shining down on him, it’s soothing. Luke likes the meditation part of his day, he likes teaching it too. Leia was surprised when he admitted that to her the first time she visited, Luke was so excited to show the gardens, how he had cleaned it up. Yes, Luke had been a restless child, always longing, always thinking, but the calm that flows over him when he meditates is a feeling that Luke enjoys, the silence of the Force revealing more to Luke than people would think.

However, an extra presence makes his way behind Luke, thinking he’s being quiet. Luke smiles to himself. 

“Good morning, Din,” Luke says, and he can hear Din’s boots awkwardly shift in the dirt. 

“I didn’t mean to disturb you,” Din admits, and Luke opens his eyes, taking in the beautiful day. A sunny, blue sky this morning, it should be a good day. 

“You could never do that,” Luke turns to look back at him, a bright smile on his face. If Luke could see Din’s face right now, he could imagine the blush that would be on it, and lack of eye-contact, the visor not quite lining up with Luke’s eyes. 

Din clears his throat, moving closer to Luke, “I wanted to talk about...us,” 

Luke blinks in surprise but nods his head. He gestures to the ground, watching as the string gets shorter as Din gets closer. He sits across from Luke, their string crossing in between them, and Luke still can’t believe that Din is here, and he’s real. The early morning sun bounces off Din’s armor, and Luke is entranced by the way the light moves around him. Din feels bright, golden like their string. It has been a few weeks since Din arrived, and they haven’t kissed since that first evening, but they haven’t been avoiding each other, which Luke likes.

“Uh, I...want to know what you want, from this, from us...” Din spits out, after a couple moments of silence, and Luke takes a big breath in. 

“I like having you around, it’s nice talking to you,” Luke answers softly, and Din tilts his head to the side, waiting for him to say more, “I guess I’d like a relationship with you, but I know you have other things to worry-”

Din cuts him off, “I don’t care about those other things, not when I’m with you,” 

A quick blush rushes to Luke’s face, and he reaches up to rub the place where his shoulders meet his neck. Every time, without fail, Din has a way of making Luke very aware of his feelings. He’s a blunt man, which means he doesn’t exactly shy away from his feelings, even if Din doesn’t always know how to word it. 

“Oh,”

“Yeah,” Din breathes out, “Luke...I know that we’re connected, that we’re soulmates, and I’ve tried really hard these past few weeks not to let that cloud my judgement of you, but Luke...everything about you keeps pulling me in. I can’t think straight when you’re around, you...are so bright, it hurts in the best way. Grogu loves you, and I can’t tear my eyes away from you, and I don’t want too...I want you, I just want to be around you, even if Jedi can’t have attachments, I just want to be near you, because...you feel like home,” 

There’s that feeling again, _belonging_. Luke has felt it wash over him so many times since Din has been here, with Din understanding him before he even has to speak. They...just get each other, whether it be meeting by accident for late-night strolls, both avoiding sleep to attempt to side-step the nightmares, or early mornings after a student woke one of them up because they needed help. Din feels like home, more than Tatooine ever made him feel. 

“I feel safe with you,” Luke blurts, and this is the first time in so long, he doesn’t want to pick them out of the air or wish them away, “You’re familiar...like I could have recognized your presence out of millions of people, even without the string, and...I don’t want you to leave. The Jedi might have had a reason to not allow attachments, but I don’t care about that anymore, because you make me feel the Force and everything around me in a way that I...didn’t think I would ever experience,” 

Din lets out a breathy laugh, so soft that Luke can barely hear it, and Luke reaches out and takes Din’s hands in his. Din squeezes back, and laughter bubbles up out of Luke, like he has heard his Padawans, laughter with childlike wonder. 

“I’m glad,” The metallic timbre does nothing to hide the softness in Din’s voice, and for that Luke is grateful. 

“Me too,” 

“So...we’re doing this...we’re gonna move forward?” Din confirms, and Luke’s face breaks apart into a big smile, nodding. 

He moves his left hand to Din’s, intertwining their fingers, watches as the string is the shortest it’s ever been. Eyes meeting the visor, Luke reaches up to cup the side of Din’s helmet. They both lean forward at the same time, foreheads connecting. Din wraps a hand around the back of Luke’s neck, holding him in place. 

“Yeah, we’re doing this,” 

They sit there like that for a bit, listening as time moves around them, it’s perfect...a beautiful beginning. They don’t move until Luke hears his name called across the courtyard, a padawan looking for him, and Din lets him go, getting up first. Din pulls him up, hands still intertwined. 

“You want to know something that Grogu told me the other day?” Luke prompts, as they make their way to Luke’s students, and Din’s helmet tilts in his direction. 

“Hm?” 

“He can see the strings too, isn’t that amazing?” Luke says, and even with the helmet, Luke can tell that Din smiles. 

“Yeah...that’s wonderful.”

* * *

“Luke!” Din yells, and part of Luke’s heart breaks, feeling the pain that shoots up their Force Connection. 

They’re standing in the rain, as it’s pouring down on them relentlessly, and Luke is cold to the bone, robes clinging to him. It’s the middle of the night, and Luke avoids looking at their string, wishing he could look towards the stars instead of at the ground, find some comfort there. He stands away from Din, face half turned away, not quite embarrassed, but almost there. Din and Luke had been seeing each other the last few months, sneaking moments in between classes and wandering hands on midnight walks. Luke wouldn’t give it up for the world but... 

“Luke...think for a moment,” Din says, reaching out to him, and Luke pulls away. An exasperated sigh rips out from Din, frustrated at his partner. 

“I have to go, I have to do this, this is what I signed up for all those years ago, Din, you know this,” Luke’s voice is sharper than he wants it to be, but he has to stand his ground. 

“So you’re just gonna vanish to follow rumors that there’s another Sith on the loose? With no substance to those rumors? Without telling me, telling your students, because some government demands it of you?” Din snaps, and he reaches out again, this time successfully wrapping a gloved hand around Luke’s wrist. Luke still won’t meet Din’s visor. 

“I have a responsibility, Din, I’m the last Jedi that anyone knows about, truly. I can’t sit idly by and hope that they don’t wreak havoc like the last ones did, and I-,” Luke cuts himself off, tears rolling down his face. He can’t finish what he wants to say, he’s still too scared. A crack of thunder rolls amongst the sky, and Luke’s heart drops. 

“And what? It’s fair for the New Republic to send you, one lone man, to fight a battle just because you followed in the path of your masters and your father? Because you have powers that you didn’t even ask for? That’s fair? That's not a responsibility, Luke, that’s a fucking death sentence. You have a life here, you have people _here,_ Luke. You have students that need to be taught, you have Han, Leia, and Ben, you have Grogu...you have me.”

Din’s voice is cold, angry even with the modulator in his helmet, but the anger is not directed at Luke himself, it’s the thing forcing Luke’s hand. The pairing lighting flashes across the sky, showing Din’s fragile stance, Luke can’t see his face, but the Force pulses with begging and frustration. The implication is not lost on Luke, knowing Din has no appreciation for Luke’s father. There is so much that Luke left behind for this, to become a Jedi. Whether or not Luke was the one that decided to give it up, there were so many promises that Luke had made, to his family, to the Jedi before him, that not going to find out if the rumors are true, feels wrong. It feels like he’s cheating, even more than he is by allowing himself to...to love Din.

“Din...” Luke breathes out, and Din pulls him close, wrapping his arms around Luke’s waist, holding him there. 

“I love you.” 

It’s out of Din’s mouth, it’s in the open now, and Luke feels it in the Force. It’s a pulsing, it sends tingles up Luke’s body, and Luke gasps. Luke reaches up to wrap his arms around Din’s shoulders. Hearing the confession for the first time feels exactly like what Luke thought it would, letting it roll around in his head for a little while longer. _Din Djarin loves him._

“Stay...let us figure this out together...” Din whispers, leaning forward to touch their foreheads together. 

“I love you too,” Luke says, and Luke feels the tension leave Din’s body, the rain bouncing off his armor, “I’ll stay...I’ll figure something out but, I’ll stay.” 

There’s a beat between the pair, listening to the rain fall around them, thunder rolls and lightning cracks, and the air still sticky with humidity, but Luke knows that it will all break by morning. Luke can feel that Din wants to say more, there’s another question lingering in the air, unasked and unanswered. 

“What is it, there’s something else,” Luke asks, and Din sighs, not out of frustration...out of anxiety?

“I’ve been thinking about this for a while...and I know it might be too soon, but,” Din starts, and Luke knows where this is going, holding his breath, “Marry me, Luke?” 

“Yes,” Din lets out a strangled laugh, one that catches in his throat. 

“We could get married right here, right now, if you want...Mandalorians...we don’t need a ceremony or anything, just a phrase, but I’ll follow you, Luke, whatever you want, I’m there every step of the way,” 

Luke thinks back to his father’s red and angry string, healed and golden by the time he died. He thinks of all the times his string has been used against him, and all the times Din has used it for him, caressing his face and stolen touches in the forest, hiding away. Luke doesn’t want to hide away anymore, he wants Din out in the open, for the rest of Luke’s life. Fuck the Order, Luke has set down roots, and is now unable to move, but it only gives him strength, stability. It gives him the power to say no to the New Republic, to teach his students without fear of ruining them, because everywhere he turns Din is there, bright and shiny Din, full of love for Grogu, for the students, for his creed...for Luke. 

Luke nods, unable to get the words out, his breathing is heavy, and the rain is still pouring, and he is completely overwhelmed by the man who stands in front of him. Din is a supernova, and Luke is his witness. Din lets out a breath. 

“Just say what I say the best you can, I know your Mando’a is still rough,” Din teases, and Luke is too in love in this moment to care about the taunt, “ _Mhi solus tome, mhi solus dar’tome, mhi me’dinui an, mhi ba’juri verde._ ” 

“ _Mhi solus tome, mhi solus dar’tome, mhi me’dinui an, mhi ba’juri verde._ ” Luke is sure he butchers every word, but Din understands it enough, letting out a gentle laugh. 

With only the rain as their witness, Din reaches up, and quickly pulls off his helmet. Luke gasps at the man who appears. Familiar brown eyes stare into his, and Luke is transported back to Tatooine, staring up at the night sky, daydreaming about these eyes. But here they were, right in front of him, Din’s here, and Luke searches to memorize every mark on his face, even the mustache. The curly mop of brown hair sits soaking on his head, the rain still beating down on them, and Luke is amazed. Din looks sheepish, scared to be laid out bare in front of _his husband, they’re husbands now._ Luke's head swirls at the implications of what comes next. 

Reaching up, string still connected, after all this time, all these years, longing and begging, Luke places a hand on Din’s cheek. His eyes flutter closed at the contact, and Luke knows this is the first time he’s ever been touched like this. They found each other, all by themselves. They were a family now, and Luke can’t wait to wrap Grogu up in his arms and call him his son. 

Pushing himself up, Luke’s lips meet Din’s, a strangled gasp escaping the mandalorian’s throat. The kiss is simple, with Din’s hands finding their way to Luke’s soaking hair. It feels like magic, like everything is exactly how it’s supposed to be, with no exceptions to the rules, just the two of them, right now in this moment. 

“ _Cyar'ika,_ ” Din mumbles against his mouth, and Luke knows that word, Luke loves that word. 

Luke thanks the Force for this, for showing him his path this whole time, for this moment now and forever, because he doesn’t have to long anymore. Neither of them have to long anymore, and Luke doesn’t have to be alone anymore. 

Luke finally belongs.

* * *

Luke Skywalker sits, staring out into the night sky. The stars are a comfort from his childhood, but he doesn’t want to find his place among them anymore. He’s content right here on the ground, where his hand meets the cool dirt, his son in his lap. They listen to the world turn around them, meditating on each sound nature makes, the smell of the earth after it’s rained, and it’s nice to live in a place that has changing weather. 

“The string leads you to your soulmate, your Force Connection. It’s the person who’s soul so closely resonates with your own, it doesn’t have to be romantic. All the people in my life who I’ve met who found the other side of their string, ended up romantically falling in love with them.” Grogu coos, spreading his hands out on Luke’s, staring at his string. 

Grogu’s string leads him far away into the sky, but he’s still too young to really understand what it means. It’s why Luke has waited until now to talk to him about it, but Grogu doesn’t care. He tells Luke that he likes all the pretty strings he sees on his fellow Padawans, and it makes Luke smile, he thinks the same way. 

“Dad!” 

Grogu and Luke turn around to see Finn pulling Din along with him, moonlight bouncing off his armor. Grogu shrieks at the sight of the rest of his family, pushing his way out of Luke’s lap to run over to his brother. Finn drops Din’s hand and wraps his arms around Grogu, before continuing his way to his father. Din stops when he reaches Grogu, lifting him up into his arms, and Grogu pats his helmet. 

“Hey buddy, how was your trip with _Buir_?” Luke asks, as Finn finds his place in the spot Grogu abandoned, throwing his arms around Luke’s neck. 

“It was so cool, we did so many fun things, and we met up with Aunt Leia and Ben!” Finn tells him, a smile bright on his face. 

“Oh, did you now?” Luke asks, a slight tease in his voice, looking over to his husband who sits down on the ground next to him, “Hi,” 

“Hi, _cyar'ika,_ ” Din says, wrapping an arm around Luke’s shoulders. 

“Did you at least tell my sister I said hi on your political trip?” Luke teases, and Din lets out a low chuckle. 

“I did, she says she’ll bring the family for a longer visit soon,” Din responses, gloved hand touching the tips of Grogu’s ears, who smiles up at his father. 

Luke asks Finn more questions, who graciously gives him responses. Din takes in each other’s presence, letting the pair chat between themselves, Grogu cutting in to ask his brother questions. In the distance, he can hear his students laughing, the breeze bringing the sound of their voices over to the group, from their secluded spot at their favorite clearing in the woods. Din reaches up, taking off the helmet, and blue eyes meet brown, and Luke smiles. Grogu reaches up and places a hand on Din’s cheek, just like always. 

It had been a couple of years since the night in the rain, and it’s been the best years of Luke’s life. Luke trains his students, helps out the New Republic on his terms, and has his family. Din is there, at the center of it, strong and steady, and Luke loves him. Plain and simple, nothing else to it. 

They all sit there for a while, as the boys slowly drift off to sleep, tired from their days, however different they might have been. Din’s arm is still wrapped around Luke’s shoulder, he leans his head down. Grogu in his favorite place in Din’s arms, Finn resting his head against Luke’s shoulder, Din’s hand petting his hair. 

“I missed you,” Luke whispers, still hating when their string gets long enough to drift into the sky. 

“I missed you too,” Din responds softly, reaching up and brushing the hair out Luke’s face, pressing a soft kiss to his lips, before placing their foreheads together. 

This moment is all Luke could have ever wanted out of life, a place he belongs.

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on tumblr [here!](https://skywalker-swift.tumblr.com/) My ask box is always open for questions about my stories, any fic ideas, and all the dinluke headcanons. Thank you for reading, I appreciate you :D


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